Chapter 389

"I know I shouldn’t have lied to you. Saying I’d stay as your maid for a year was just a temporary fix—I was scared you’d send my father to jail again. So I thought… if I stayed by your side for a year, then…” Juliana’s voice trailed off, and an uncontrollable blush crept across her delicate cheeks. Her original plan had been a little cunning, hadn’t it? She had innocently hoped he might fall for her, thinking that maybe his affection would soften the blow of losing the family heirloom. The more she thought about it, the more unfair it seemed to him. “And then what?” Arthur looked at her hesitant eyes and the sudden blush on her face, curiosity rising. Juliana had always been an honest girl, never one to plan anything elaborate. Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eyes. “Promise me you won’t laugh.” “Alright, I won’t laugh,” he replied, though the seriousness on her face was already making it hard not to chuckle. Was even her apology this amusing? Brushing a loose strand of hai